Genome-wide characterization, expression profiling, and post-transcriptional study of GASA gene family

The GASAs are a family of plant cysteine-rich small peptides widely distributed in the plant kingdom and involved in the plant development and stress response. In the current study, GASA gene family was widely compared in dicots and monocots based on their structure and expression. In addition, the post transcription/translation modifications of GASA proteins were predicted to more understanding the regulatory mechanisms. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that GASA genes of studied monocot plants were more similar than dicot plants. Also, the leucine-rich repeat domain, motif 4, was identified in the C terminal of studied GASA proteins that may affect the function of GASA proteins. Furthermore, most studied-GASA proteins were unstable based on instability index values. Besides, our result revealed that rice-GASA genes are more GC rich than studied dicots (Arabidopsis and tomato). The GASA genes showed differential expression in response to biotic and abiotic stress, and hormone treatments and also key cis-regulatory elements were observed in their promoter site, indicating that GASA genes as an important gene family have diverse roles and functions. Also, the strong interactions among Dof, BBR-BPC, ERF, and MYB transcription factors family and GASA genes were predicted in Arabidopsis, tomato, and rice. The results of the present study can be useful in further studies related to the function of GASA genes.